Sunday, October 13, 2002

The Forgotten Domestic Crisis. The nation's health care system is at the brink of collapse. War or no war, politicians will not be able to avoid it much longer. By Marcia Angell. [New York Times: Opinion] What's wrong with this picture? - Premiums rising at 13 percent per year (25 percent in some areas of the country). - Coverage shrinking as more employers cap their contributions to health insurance plans and workers can't pay their rapidly expanding share. - More people are losing what limited coverage they had -- nearly 1.5 million in 2001. - The US per capita health care spending is twice what Europe pays. "As John Breaux of Louisiana, long one of the most conservative Senate Democrats, recently told the press, 'The system is collapsing around us.'" "If it weren't for the steady beat of war drums, health care would be front and center in this fall's political debate. And war or no war, politicians will not be able to avoid it much longer." 11:56:20 AM    comment []  trackback []

Agribusiness goes organic The organic food industry is growing at 20% per year for several -- off a small base, to be sure, about 1% of the US market, but in the face of a soft economy, that ain't hay... so to speak. (Similar pattern of rapid growth on small base in the worldwide wind energy industry.) Consumers seem more motivated by health concerns than environmental ones, but it's all cash in the bank for the large agribusiness companies moving strongly into the market. Which in turn poses a big challenge for long time sustainable ag diehards -- the thrill of victory or the agony of co-optation and dilution? Related story, "Buying food local is better than global," (in print but not on web site): "Hang around some of the elite chefs and farmers on the cutting edge of Nrothern California and before long they're talking about 'food miles' and 'food sheds' -- that is the notion that food grown closest to where one lives is best." 11:16:06 AM    comment []  trackback []

Organized market leverage once again makes a difference A True Fish Story. It is encouraging to note a major success story regarding marine life: the striking if still incomplete recovery of North Atlantic swordfish. [New York Times: Opinion] 10:32:05 AM    comment []  trackback []